The World Within Us
by limptaco
Summary: Leon, lives life with his friends. But his life soon changes as war ensues, and he must protect his deepest love, and his closest friends. Full of fun, action, and romance.
1. Quiet Evening

The World Within Us

1. Quiet Evening

The wind blew slowly, rustling the trees, breezing against the grass, and bushes. The trees were barely making sounds. Things were quiet. A flock of birds were scared away.

"Get back here!" Snap! The branch the man was hiding on, snapped. "Ahhhhhh!" He fell from the tree, hitting two more branches as he fell. As he hit the ground, he dropped his guns, and his swords loosened from his waist.

"Oh…god…" He slowly moved his arms, twitching his legs. He could only writhe in pain, as he laid there, helplessly.

"Leon! Leon, say something!" The woman running towards him, was gorgeous. She had long blue hair, merging into dirty blond, as it reached the end. She was around five foot six, and had an amazing body. She was wearing light blue jeans, a red t-shirt, and a long yellow overcoat, with black boots. Her glasses only expressed her radiant blue eyes. They were beautiful, and often changed between blue and green.

She ran to his side, kneeling before she tripped over him. "Ow! Don't touch me right now silver." Leon was barely able to talk.

"But you've got to get up and move. Otherwise I can't get you help out in the forest." Silver was just about his best friend. He had strong, strong feelings for her, and she knew it…but she just didn't love him, like he did her. Even though he had hoped, that maybe one day, she would.

"I can't move woman." Leon had just realized what he had said, when all of the sudden - CRACK!

"What the hell have I told you?" She screamed at him. "When you say woman in that tone, it implies ownership, and you don't own me!" She was a little peeved at this remark, but dismissed it. Maybe this was why they weren't together yet. Aside from the other fact, that he was only 16, and she was soon turning 18.

"I'm sorry. Oh god, I'm so sorry." He was holding his ribs, a slight tear running down his face from the pain. "Ow, damn it hurts so much! I should know better by now, shouldn't I?" He sat up smiling at her. "Hey, sorry I ran off like that." He reached up to hug her.

"It's ok, you know I like to give you a hard time." She hugged him as he sat there, sitting down next to him. "So why'd you run off again?"

"Well-" he said "The same man that took your necklace, took my family photo." He looked at the ground. Because his family had all passed, the portrait was all he had left, to remember them. It was the most sentimental item he had left in his life.

"Huh…" Silver looked up in deep thought. "Why would a random stranger want a necklace, and a family photo, that's not even his own family?" She was very confused at this thought, but discarded it. "Well, if you can walk, we need to get back home. It's going to get dark soon, and I really don't want to be stuck in the dark."

"No…I like the dark. And besides, I've got two guns, and a sword. I don't think very much will happen to us." Leon laughed on the inside at his statement. "Stay here with me, and just enjoy it for a while."

They sat together, watching the sunset. Leon kind of wondered why they weren't together yet. They spent so much time together already, and his feelings were so strong for her. He just didn't know why she didn't feel the same way for him. Maybe it was the constant messing around with each other. They kind of fought like siblings sometimes, but were the closest of friends. He enjoyed every minute he spent with her, and would do anything to spend his entire life with her.

The sun was finally gone. The moon was now high in the sky, with the stars gleaming brightly. The pine trees were lining the path, their bristles reflecting the light, illuminating their path. Leon picked up his guns, putting them away in his back holster. He re-tightened his sword onto his waist. His outfit was ideal for the situations he found himself in. His black boots, were loose fitting, but just the right size to stay on his feet. He wore light blue jeans, with a black muscle shirt. He wore a long overcoat, reaching to his calves. It was black, with a golden border, and a flame design on the bottom. The gloves were of the same sort, black with gold border on the edge. The hood had crosses on both sides, as did the coat on the bottom of the arms, and on the top of the gloves, also on the back of the coat. He stood up, as his hair moved down, his ponytail moving. He had brown wavy hair, about shoulder length, and his glasses excelled the gleam of his hazel eyes. He was muscular, and at the average height of five foot seven inches.

"Leon…Leeeeeeoooooooon." Her voice had knocked him out of his daze. "Say something idiot." She was starting to get annoyed.

"Huh?" He had just realized exactly what was going on. "Oh, yea…the walk home." Man, was he embarrassed. He hadn't spaced out like that, in months. "Right, let's go home."

They started to walk home, enjoying the night light. The walk however, was uncomfortably quiet. Neither of them said much of anything, for the entire walk home. He was kind of embarrassed. He wanted so badly to kiss her, but only two things could come of that. Either she would slap him, and then hate him for the majority of forever. Or she would slap him, hate him for only a little while, then resume their, what would be awkward friendship. So he didn't kiss her, despite his urge to make it as clear as possible, that he wanted to be with her.

As they approached silver's house, they came to a stop. More silence befell them, as the two of them stood there, like dumbfound children.

"Well, I enjoyed spending time with you silver." He was nervous. It wasn't so much the fact, that she didn't feel the same way for him, as he did for her, as it was the fact that he loved her too much for words to tell.

"Me too." she said. "I'll tell you what, I'll see you again either tomorrow, or later this week. After all, I can't let you go too long without seeing your friends." She was smiling now. "We'll get the rest of our friends together, and spend time together later. I'm sure they'd love to come with, next time we go anywhere." She knew this more than anybody. Leon loved spending time with his friends, and if ever he missed an opportunity, it pained him. He couldn't stand not being around them.

"Yea, sure. That'd be fun. See you again soon." They hugged, and she went inside. He stood outside for a moment, then continued to walk home.


	2. Red: 1  Leon: Passed Out

2. Red: 1 - Leon: Passed Out

Leon was dead asleep, at this time in the morning. He didn't know it, but it was only 4 a.m. That didn't mean that his roommate didn't know it though. Red knew Leon very well. They had been friends since the sixth grade. If anybody knew anything about these two, it would be that Red, is always messing around with Leon.

Being the cruel, cold person he was -when it came to others sleep, Red prepared his assault. He picked up the pillow, with his belt wrapped around his arm, he jumped. He landed square on Leon's back, pinning down his friends arms, with his own knees. He put the pillow over Leon's face. Red then tied it down with the belt. With Red pinning down his arms, Leon had no way to remove the pillow.

"Squirm, buddy. Squirm like a little worm." Red was just tormenting him now, laughing at him. "Do you have any idea how much your pain, is my pleasure?" But his good time was short lived. Leon squirmed hard enough to knock Red, off of him. He quickly took off the pillow, and smacked Red upside the head.

"Nice one asshole. Attempted murder. I'm sure everyone would enjoy that story." Leon was furious. Red had always tormented him in different ways, but nothing like that. "Ugh…I'm so tired. What time is it?" He looked over at the clock, clearing his eyes out, only to widen when he saw the clock. "Oh god, you're so dead!"

The chase ensued, the two friends running around the apartment, on the verge of breaking numerous things. Fortunately, nothing was dropped, pushed, or knocked over. "Wait, wait." Red was now on the opposite end of the couch as Leon. "You had to realize this was coming. You stay out all night, doing god knows what, and you-…wait. Were you out with Silver again?"

Leon didn't like it when others asked questions about what he did, with who. "Why should you care anyway?"

"Come on, you two spend so much time together. I know you like her, but don't you think you're pushing it a little?" Red, having several ex-girlfriends, kind of knew what he was talking about. "You need to either do something, or let things be like they will…as in never!" That was cold. He had gotten help from friends, he had gotten advice, but never has anybody ever said anything so cold in his view.

"Fuck you. You, better than anybody know how I feel. The only person that may know what I feel for her, more than you, is Fuzzy. I'll be fucking damned, if I'm gonna listen to that shit from you. If you had a damn backbone, and fucking knew what I'm thinking about right now…what the fuck I think? You'd re-fucking think what you just said." He had done it. Red had finally pushed his friends buttons. But he didn't just pushed them, he broke the console. Leon was on a rampage now, and anybody who knew him, knew that when he gets mad, he is not somebody to get in the way of.

"I dare you to say that again." Red was silent now. "I fucking dare you." He knew it was coming. Leon had anger issues, as well as confidence issues. The two just looked at each other. Red's face was blank, while Leon was madder than hell.

"Now that you're done, you'll listen to me." Red was a very smart person. He had been in many a debates with others, and had almost always come out on top. "Like I don't know what the hell you're going through. We've all been there. Just because you're not content enough to know what the fuck you're going to do, doesn't give you the right to lash out like that."

Leon stood his ground, because if there was anything he was known for, was questioning. He would never accept others authority, and he would always question what others said.

"There's a chain of command around here bud. And you're not very high on that chain." He scoffed at that. "And you are?" Leon said. He was now on the defensive. He wasn't backed into the corner right yet, but it was getting there. "You're not in a position to be talking chain of command shit."

"Yes, it's true, we all do have our place in life." Leon had gotten the upper hand now. "But yours isn't to tell me what I should and shouldn't do. Yours is to be there for support when I need it, as mine is for you. Neither of us, is a one man team. I've learned to live with you, and use your support, just like you've learned to live with mine. You need me just as bad as I need you." Or, at least he thought he'd won.

"Leon! You don't have a clue what the hell you're talking about. It's not real. If you two were supposed to be together, it would've happened by now. You can't keep living a dream." That was it. Leon couldn't win a battle of wits, but actions speak louder than words. He picked up one of the .45 caliber's on the coffee table, cocking it, and pointing it at Reds head.

"Shut up. She knows how I feel. Do you know how bad I want her to feel the same for me?" Leon never kept the guns loaded in the house, but he always kept at least 3 clips on his belt. Red however, was oblivious to this fact…until he saw the empty magazine slot.

"Fine, you win. I know you really love her." With one quick movement, Red smacked his friend upside the head, taking his gun from him, and pushed him onto the couch. "Go back to bed now. I'm sure the neighbors don't appreciate all the noise we've been making." He started to walk away, but turned right before he reached his room. "Oh, and just so you know. An empty gun isn't threatening."

Leon laughed at that remark. But he was tired, and Reds words had gotten to him. He set the gun down on the coffee table, and laid back down. He didn't really like the idea, that maybe they never would be together. Silver was sort of, his light. She always cheered him up, and no matter how he was feeling, it would always be better when she was around.

He slowly drifted off to sleep. He dreamed many things, but only one stayed with him for more than a minute. He was kneeling by the window of his apartment. He heard the roar of fighter jets going by. The sky was orange. Something was different about this place. He looked ever slightly above the window seal, and saw death, destruction, mayhem. Entire buildings were gone, some only fragments of what they were. Tanks, planes, and service men and woman were scattered across the landscape. He heard cannons going off, missiles exploding, and the scream of innocent people. He was scared. Never before, had he been in such an intense situation. The sweat rolled down his face. His body was heating up, throat closing. Harder and harder to breathe. A gun shot, and he jumped.

He sat up on the couch, frantically reaching for his weapons. Red tackled him. Somebody else was there as well, but his vision was too blurred to see anything. He wasn't sure what was going on. Red was trying to hold him down, but Leon couldn't hear him at all, only mumbles.

"Leon!" Red was loud now. "Leon, stop." He was still fighting him. "Leon. Look at me. Stop moving, and look at me." Reds face blurred out. He got off of Leon, and as soon as he did, Leon's body fell to the floor. He was passed out on the floor.

Red walked over, and picked up the phone, dialing a familiar number. "Hello? Silver, can you come over real quick? Yea, again. Ok, do me a favor, call Fuzzy and Jesse and have them come over as well." He hung up the phone, and moved Leon back onto the couch, now waiting patiently.


	3. Dream Revealed

3. Dream Revealed

Whispers overtook the apartment. He had barely opened his eyes, as he saw four, blurred figures walking around. Leon wasn't quite stable yet. He couldn't move his arms or legs, or speak for that matter. His neck would barely turn, and his eyes - without his glasses, couldn't see more than ten feet. He noticed a person walking towards him. The long, wavy brown hair, was a dead giveaway. It was another of his friends, Fuzzy. Fuzzy - who also went by her real name of Clysta, was of average height. Not as tall as everybody else, but not too short either.

Fuzzy, and Leon had known each other, for a little over a year. Recently, in the past couple months, they had grown very close. Fuzzy, being a tad bit shorter than the rest of them, had a very small body frame. Her skeleton frame was very compact, as were her muscles. But just because her muscles were compact, didn't make her weak. She was in fact very strong. Her stomach and abs were hard as a rock. She packed a powerful punch, and could take one massive beating, before giving up.

"Leon." She had one of the softest voices in the world. One that could put others on a run for their money. "Leon. Wake up hun." She always talked to her friends like that. "Wake up. You need to get up."

He struggled to move, but Leon managed to sit up. His whole body ached. "Hi guys." He could only mumble at this point. "Why are you here?" Like he didn't know the answer to that. He didn't want to be told again, but sure enough, it came at him.

"What do you think?" said Silver. "It's only been two weeks, and already, this has happened four times. We thought, no, Red thought it was only a bad dream the first two times. He called me the third time, and now we're here for the fourth." Her voice was different. She wasn't angry with him, but she wasn't very understanding with him either. "This is the last time. You need to tell us what's going on, right now."

He reached over for his glasses, putting them on, finally seeing his four friends. In the day light, Red was very broad. He was very muscular, with short red hair. He often wore muscle shirts of any color, and loose fitting pants, often black. His knuckle gloves, and black boots, matched his outfit. He was accustom to this loose fitting clothing, because he was a street fighter. He would fight anybody who wanted one, and willing punch a person, if he had a valid reason. He was 17, and on his own. His family was killed too, not long after he met Leon. They had been best of friends ever since.

"Morning Red." He got up and headed for the kitchen. "Remind me again how two young people like ourselves, can afford to pay for this, Red?" He had completely ignored Silver. That was not usually something he did, nor was it a smart move.

"Inheritance." said Red. Because their families had died, their life insurance policy, was heavy set to cover them. Each of their parents had a two million dollar life insurance policy. Why would these two adolescents need so much? They had no other family, and they really didn't want to be put in a home. So by court rule, they were let freely to live together, by law. They supported, and protected each other. But in this absent minded re-living, Leon was having, he forgot he had ignored Silver.

He felt her had on his shirt collar. Boom! The thud of his body hitting the fridge, caused one of the glasses on the counter to break, and three picture frames, to fall off of the walls. "Tell me what the dream was about. Her voice was loud now. "I came over here, to find out. Tell me what's going on." Silver was serious, but Leon only had a calm face.

He set the milk container on the counter, and slowly touched Silver's hand. "If I thought it was important, I'd tell you." he calmly removed her hand, from his collar. "It's only a bad dream. There's no reason to care." He started back towards the living room, but stopped and turned back. "If you want to hear so badly, then come in here. Since you can't seem to let it go, you might as well know." He continued walking.

The two of them sat down on the couch in the living room. Clysta, and Jesse, across from them, and Red, next to them. "So, let's find out why we're here." Jesse finally spoke to Leon directly. Jesse was taller than the rest of them, but not by much. He was a very strong person. His muscles didn't show as much is Red's, but they were there. He was a very confusing person. He was usually deep in thought. Although he was confusing, he was very intelligent. He was very subtle in what he did. He didn't really like to fight, but when confronted, or enraged, he would stand up to the plate, and dish out a good beating.

"Well?" Jesse was impatient. "TALK!" they all screamed at once. He sighed and looked up, laughing at them.

"Ok. So you all want to know what happened, right?" He was good at stalling, and leaving people second guessing. "It's evening in my dream. The sky is orange, maybe from the sun, maybe from something else. There are entire buildings, just demolished. I see people lying on the ground, all over, just dead. Metal chunks, contorted and twisted. There's tanks, missing platings of metal on the sides, tops, and missing the cannons. Fighter jets are screaming overhead, shooting at others. I can hear explosions, and screaming. I can hear death all around. I see death all around. What's worse? It's real."

That had struck them all, like a blunt force to the head. Leon wasn't necessarily clairvoyant, but he did often receive premonitions. No matter what, they always came true, and usually, the more frequently the premonitions occurred, the closer it was to happening. They were all silent now. Leon knew what he said had scared them, but it didn't scare him. If it was to happen, he knew he needed to step up. If war was headed in his direction, he wasn't going down without a fight, and he damn sure wasn't going to go out, without protecting his friends.

"So what's that mean for us?" asked Jesse shaken, and disturbed.

"It means, that we're going to have to step it up." Leon stood up, and grabbed his sword from the corner. "If this war comes, and we're unprepared, death will come faster than you can imagine."

Jesse walked over to Leon, grabbing the sword from him. "Nice blade." He un-sheathed the curved sword. "So you're actually expecting us to fight? You actually think we'll need to?"

"You'll have to, if you want to live." Leon grabbed the sword back, putting it back in it's saya. "So you've got a choice. Prepare now, or fight on pure instinct later. I'd suggest we practice, just so we'll have a common knowledge of fighting techniques." Leon was of course, the up close and physical fighter. He only used the guns, and sword, when he was surrounded, and his life was threatened. He'd only needed to use them once before, because the mob had attacked him, at his house. They had received a false tip, that he'd killed the don. Fifteen men attacked him at his house, not knowing, the don - who was in fact Leon's godfather, had been killed in a police shootout. How they'd gotten it confused, he would never know.

"I'm game." said Red. "If I get a chance to hit, or hurt something, I'll gladly take it. When can we start the sparring?" He had already been searching for his gauntlets, when he was stopped.

"No! Those gauntlets hurt, and you're not gonna take the risk of killing a friend, in training." Leon had snagged Red before he could continue. "No…I said no!" -thud. Red had never felt the force of a metal pole to the groin. As Red rolled on the ground, in pain, Leon simply walked away. "You asked for it. No means no.

Red however, had quickly gotten up, and tackled Leon to the ground. "Alright bud. You want a scrap, so you're getting a scrap." Red was punching left and right, but no matter what, he couldn't hit his target. So just to save time, he picked up Leon, and threw him onto the coffee table. Leon retaliated, by tackling Red into a coat rack, snapping it in half. Leon paid his friend back for last night, by strangling him blue. Red reached up, and smashed his roommate over the head, with a broken peace of the coat rack.

"So how're you two?" Silver asked Fuzzy, and Jesse. The couple were dating, and the group usually knew if they were taking a break or not.

"Pretty good. We've been spending almost every day together. I guess you figured we might prefer to be together, when you called us here?" Fuzzy didn't really know who called. But she was still very interested in this whole mess.

"No." silver said. The brawl continued behind them, now reaching the kitchen. "The idiot in there, called me, then had me call you two." she said as she pointed to the roommates.

"Wait. Which idiot?" asked Fuzzy? "Then again, Leon wouldn't have been able to call. So it would have had to of been, the red headed idiot." She smiled at her own remark.

"You got it babe." said Silver. "Red called me, then asked me to call Jesse and you." she looked behind her, to see a knife getting thrown. Red was on the ground, and Leon had just peaked his head above the counter, to see a beer.

"Thank god for the new drinking age." he said, as he grabbed the bottle. He barely touched the bottle to his lips, as he was pulled to the floor. "Dammit Red! You spilled it." he shattered the glass over Red's head.

"Ow! You jerk. Glass hurts." Red was now standing up. He ran into his room, coming out with a paintball gun. "Now you're gonna get it."

Silver stood up quick. "Put it down. Last time I was over here, you got me with that thing." She didn't like the paintball gun. She'd gotten hit with it before, and didn't like the outcome.. "Put the gun down, Red." She was watching them both close. "Leon…put the knife down." She now had to watch both of them. The thud of a knife hitting the floor was heard. "You guys do this all the time." she was walking towards Leon. "You two are always fighting." -slap. She hit him upside the head. But quickly hugged him, as if she was saying, she was only being protective. "And you should know better than to bring that thing out when I'm here. Last time, you actually got paint in my hair." She walked over to Red, took the gun, and smacked him as well, then quickly hugged him back.

"Alright, no stop messing around. You guys can fight on your own time. I don't want to get dirty from your adolescence." she was going to the couch again. "Leon, you've been sick this past week. This dream you've been having isn't good for you. You need to socialize, and I mean with more than just us."

Red helped his friend to his feet. "Ok then." said Leon. "Give me a minute to get dressed, then we'll clean this up, and head out." He walked into his room.

Red looked up at Silver sheepishly. "Sooo…where are we going?"

"To your favorite bar, bathroom boy." she smiled at him. "And I know you love your liquor."

The four of them, sat on the couch, waiting for Leon to finish dressing in clean, unscathed clothes.

Author Notes:

- A saya, is the sheathe, that a katana is carried in

-Red's zodiac sign, is virgo, the virgin. So we call him Bathroom boy, as a taunt


	4. Midnight Bar Fight

4. Midnight Bar Fight

The group walked into the bar, looking around at the many people inside. Under the Moon, had been around for almost 10 years. It had grown diverse in so many ways. But one thing that kept it in the same spirit, was the original bartender Dave, had stayed to this day. He was 40 years old, and had known Leon since he was a kid. As Leon grew and made new friends, Dave treated them as his own friends and family as well. Leon's family, was his family.

Dave was an ex-marine. In his early years, he had managed to reach a stage of black ops. He was deadly with a gun, at any range. He kept his sniper rifle hanging on the wall of bar. But of course for safety reasons, the barrel was plastic. He kept the real one, in case shit ever hit the fan, but so far it wasn't needed. He was six feet tall, very strong, and medium blonde hair. He looked not a day over twenty, but he was double that. He was dressed in a white sleeveless t-shirt, and blue jeans, with black boots.

Leon, Fuzzy, Jesse, and Silver hopped into a booth together. Red however, hopped the bar, behind the bartenders back grabbing a bottle of Kernal Hayes, slapping a fifty on the bar. "That's for you!" he said as he ran to the booth.

Dave only chuckled and put the fifty in the cash register. "You know Red. Last time you were had a full bottle of that, it took 3 of us to carry you to the cab." He was ready to do it again if need be, but he wasn't too keen on the idea.

"Yea, but this time, we got a designated driver. Right guys?" he looked around. Leon spoke up "Vodka straight for me Dave." Silver answered next. "Same here Dave, but make it strong." Jesse and Fuzzy both looked at Dave, and spoke simultaneously. "Hardcore Johnson shots."

Red looked around. "What the fuck was that?" he was completely shocked. "I thought we agreed somebody was gonna drive home."

"Nope. We're staying the night here." said Leon. "I'm more than sure Dave doesn't mind, and on top of that, we haven't spent so much time together as a group, in such a long time." Leon loved late nights. He enjoyed watching how the different people acted.

Red didn't like the idea of staying in a bar all night. Usually on Fridays, a strange woman came in. She was slender, with very revealing clothing, all black. She had long wavy brown hair. She carried with her jewels so dark, it looked as though they held the essence of night itself.

As soon as the thought of the lady crossed his mind, she stepped into the bar. She walked over to the booth next to him. "You'll have two choices young sir." The voice of the lady was as clear as day, but she had not said a word. Instead, their eyes met. Red stared into the cold gaze of the lady, as everything around him seemed to turn black.

"On one hand, you will die. But with the lives you saved, a greater cause will emerge. On the other hand, you will live. However, if you choose this path, your selfishness will end in the death of your closest friends. Choose wisely" The voice of the woman echoed through his head, as everything returned to normal. He turned to look at his friends, and turned back. She wasn't there.

"Red…what's wrong?" Silver asked him. "Red." she snapped her fingers. Nothing. He sat there, staring lifelessly at the table. After not getting his attention, she grabbed his face, and shook him a little. "Wake up. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." he said. "Just spaced out for a minute. That's not illegal is it? Besides, you've done it before."

"True, but after what happened with Leon, that kind of thing makes us a little nervous." She wasn't serious. She had a hunch of what was going on with Leon, but she just wanted to say something to get Red to straighten up.

"No, just thinking about that creepy lady." he said.

"What creepy lady?" Silver asked.

"You know. The one in the black clothes, with the brown hair. She comes in every Friday night." Red was a little worried now.

"What are you talking about Red?" asked Silver.

"Seriously." said Fuzzy. "I've never seen this lady you're talking about, and I come here every Friday."

"Are you sure you're not going crazy Red?" asked Jesse. "First it's Leon, then you. Wouldn't surprise me." he said.

"Yeah, but I'm not going crazy either." said Leon. "I'm just having bad dreams." he stuck his tongue out.

Jesse laughed. "Well I wouldn't trust you with my life. And that's saying something."

"It's not like you could trust me anyway." The both of them had just finished a shot, when a big man sitting behind them turned around.

"Aye, would you shut the fuck up? I'm trying to have a peaceful fuckin evening. I can't enjoy a single fuckin bottle of beer, without you little shits talking so much." The man was taller than Dave, but that didn't stop him from listening to him.

"Watch what you say." Dave had heard the man, and was now pissed. "You're talking to my boy there. If you've got a problem, you can leave, or shut the fuck up."

The man stood up. "Why? Because they show up here, every Friday night? Has he grown on you, you stubborn old man? Answer the question. If it wasn't even for that stupid new drinking law, these kids couldn't even be out here right now."

Dave had now hopped the bar, with a pool stick in hand. "That's not the problem though. The problem is your loud mouth. So once again, leave, or shut the fuck up!"

The man in the bikers outfit let a mean right hook, knocking Dave to the floor. Without a moments hesitation, Red and Leon got up, and tackled the man to the floor. Jesse got up, as four of the bikers friends got up. He charged one, shattering his nose with a full force punch. The stranger fell to the ground unconscious.

"Ok. So they fucked with Dave, and they want to fight. Great." Red was usually a better fighter when drunk, but in his impaired state, they looked bigger than they truly were. "So do we each take one?" He assumed by the nods, it was a yes.

One man swung a chair at Jesse, hitting him in the leg. To his surprise, he only stumbled. Jesse kicked the man in the knee, bringing him to an equal level. A hard left hook to the jaw caused the man to bleed. He swung again, but this time was caught. The man pulled him in close, and tossed him onto the table. Jesse let loose a knee to the mans face, and rolled off the table. He tackled the man into the bar, being careful not to break anything.

As Jesse was taking care of his assailant, Leon was busy throwing kicks to his assailant. This man was about Leon's height. However, he was big and burly. He had Leon by the neck, and tossed him across half the room. Leon got up, ran towards the man, and delivered a smooth roundhouse kick to his neck. He didn't budge. Leon let loose with everything he had. Two straight jabs to his face, a roundhouse kick to his chest, left hook, right hook. He even let loose two shoulder jabs, and a final haymaker to his temple. The man was finally out. A bloody and battered mess, he was lying on the floor. Leon looked around and ran over to the other man that Jesse had knocked out earlier.

Red was only toying with his man. He'd let the man swing and miss, swing and miss, swing and miss. After letting him have his fun, Red tripped the man, and dropped a knee onto his chest. The man grabbed Red, and beat him senseless on the table. Red got up and went fast and hard. He smashed two beer bottles on the mans head, grabbed him by the leg and threw him into the wall. He finished off his fight with a quick dropkick to his face.

"Do you ever notice how complicated they make their fights?" Silver asked to Fuzzy

"Yeah. You know Jesse was the only one who made his first fight easy. All he did was hit the guy in the nose and he fell." she replied. "And to think, we could've had this over by now."

"Yeah." said Silver. "But we just ordered these drinks, and I wanted a little before I did anything." She took another drink of her vodka. "Alright, let's go save them. It'll be over quicker if we do it."

Leon was dodging fists flying left and right at his face, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Silver pulled him back, and threw a strong haymaker to the man. He went down and out from the blow. Leon looked over at her smiling. "Thanks." he looked around. "Where's Clysta?" Suddenly he saw her.

Clysta was over by Jesse. She had jumped onto the mans shoulders, and forced him into a wall. She flipped off of his shoulders and managed to knee him in the back of the head before he hit the ground, sending him to sleep. She looked around at the others. "What?" she said. She giggled at them and walked back to the booth.

The rest of them walked back, except for Jesse and Leon, who stopped to pickup Dave. They walked back to the booth, and sat him down next to them. "Ya'll right Dave?" Jesse asked him.

"I'm fine. I guess I just didn't expect him to hit me. You'd figure, if you're being threatened be the owner, three muscled chaps, and two skilled woman such as yourselves, they'd back down." Dave was a little shaken, but ok.

"Sure, but they figured, they're bigger. You can't always win a fight just because you're bigger." Jesse said. Jesse was a very smart person. "Looks like you're bar's not to beat up though."

Dave chuckled at him. "Don't worry guys. It's not like I've never had to clean it before."

While they were talking, a loud rumble was heard outside. They all ran out, to see a plume cloud. A big roar was heard from farther away. Fighter jets zoomed past them, firing missiles at a plane. The presidents vehicle barricade was fired on by this plane. There were no survivors.

The jets had hit the plane, and it crashed to the ground. The group looked at each other in shock. "Leon. We should head back to your place." Jesse had only suggested this, because Leon's dream turning into reality, had made him realize, he'd feel a little safer, if Leon had a slight idea of what to do.

"Ok." he turned around to Dave. "Dave. You're coming with us. Grab your rifle, the barrel, and any spare ammo you may have."

Dave didn't ask any questions. He grabbed his sniper rifle, and took off the plastic barrel. He replaced it with the original barrel, and grabbed four boxes of ammunition from under the bar. He headed over to the group. "I'm good. Move."

They all left the bar. They headed to their car, and got in. Leon was headed for the drivers seat. He was stopped by Dave. "I'm not about to let you drive." he said. Leon handed Dave the keys and got into the back. The SUV was very spacious. It could easily fit six people in the seats, and another four on the floor. Dave started the car, and tore out of the parking lot, headed for Leon, and Red's apartment.


	5. Home Sweet Home

5. Home Sweet Home

Trees passed by the windows as the group looked at the passing landscape. The forestry quickly turned to barren land. Only patches of grass remained on the ground. The trees were bland, and the air was thick with smog.

Jesse knew the town pretty well, but he hadn't seen this area before. "Dave. Where are we going? I thought we were headed to Red and Leon's apartment."

Dave was busy concentrating on the road, but he was never too busy to speak, when spoken to. "This is the Industrial Park. You guys weren't born when this was started. About thirty-five years ago, the government started a project, to cut down on urban pollution. Some project. They shut down the plants in town, and rebuilt here. Now this place is a ghost town. Only five industries still run, and two of those are oil plants."

No sooner had he finished his speech, was there an explosion in the distance. One of the oil plants had been hit by a missile. This set off a chain reaction. The other oil plant had blown up, followed by the car factory, and then the produce plant. The shockwave of the blasts actually stopped the car, and pushed it back.

Red, being the nuisance he was in times of crisis, looked up with a huge smile. "Fireworks!" he exclaimed. He was to drunk to remember what was going on. Kernal Hayes was a strong drink. The rest of the group simply scoffed at him in disbelief. Leon was the first to reach over and slap him, followed by Jesse, Clysta, Silver, and Dave. Red of course, was too drunk to feel much of it, much less care.

"Red…I can't fuckin believe you just said that." Dave was sort of shocked that anybody could be that oblivious, even while drunk. Red simply laughed and laid back down.

"Just drive man." Red was laughing so hard at his own comment, it was hard to believe he was so wasted. He passed out on the floor of the van.

Dave started the engine again, turning the car around, and turning right onto a dirt road. "We'll get there faster from here. At least the forest is safe to drive through." Dave continued on the road, for near forty minutes, finally coming out onto a side street. He drove four more blocks, and pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex where the two were staying.

"Get out." He opened his door, getting out, and helping the rest out of the vehicle. He had to actually help Leon carry Red. "Do you wanna get his feet, and I'll hold his arms? Or should we try to make him walk, and hold him up by his arms?"

"Doesn't matter to me." Leon replied. "The faster we get inside, the better, and safer it is for everybody." For the sake of speeding things up Leon simply hoisted Red onto his shoulders. "Don't worry about him. Get your gun, and other supplies"

Dave did as he was told, and continued up to the stoop of the building, holding open the door for the rest of the group. As he entered after them, a gunshot was heard, and a gaping hole was in the wall, only inches to the side of Dave's head.

Leon was a quick draw after the first shot, kneeling to set down red, then letting loose two of his own bullets, purposely missing the target. It was only intended as warning shots. The two men stood with guns drawn. Leon sporting his twin .45's, and the other using two .50 caliber Desert Eagles.

The other man slowly lifted his arms. "I'll tell you what. Gimme the chance to take off the mask, I'm sure you'll recognize me then."

Leon nodded, as the man slowly took off the mask. He couldn't believe it, but the person who let off the first two shots, was Ryu. Ryu had been gone for a year, traveling to many different places, learning many different ways of fighting. More or less, his favorite close quarters combat style, was that of the ninja. He too always carried a katana vertically on his back, behind his pack. Below the brown leather pack, were two holsters for the guns, and on his hands were his gauntlets. They were silver, unlike Red's golden gauntlets, and unlike Red's, these gauntlets were smooth edged, instead of pointed.

Ryu himself was moderately tall, with a bulky build. He wore all black clothing, aside from the pack. It was not skin tight, but close with his skin, and still flexible enough for easy movement in combat.

Leon lowered his gun, and smiled. His friends were relieved to see Ryu. Silver ran up to him and hugged him. "Ryu! You've been gone so long, it's so good to finally see you again. I hope with what's been going on as of recent, you'll stay here, as to be safe?"

"Yeah. I actually came here to talk to Leon. I've been having a re-occurring dream, that's about the same as what's going on here. I know it used to happen a lot to him, so I figured if anybody could help me out, it'd be him."

Leon spoke back. "You're always welcome to stay with Red and I. But really quick, what was the dream about?"

"It was bad." he started out. "All I remember, was an orange horizon, with barren landscape. There were tanks and cars, demolished in the street. Buildings leveled, and fighter jets above."

"Were there people screaming?" Leon asked.

"As a matter of fact there were. Why? Did you have the same dream?" Ryu was very optimistic.

"Yeah. I guess we had a fair warning then." Leon was only slightly disturbed at this. "Ok, we need to get up to the apartment. Did you let yourself in already?"

"Yep. Jade and DJ are also in your apartment. I figured you wouldn't mind. They came by looking for you, and I was the only person there, so I let them in. I figured you wouldn't care since they're friends."

Leon picked up Red, and hoisted him on his shoulders again. Dave got the gun and supplies, and Clysta, and Dave followed Leon up the stairs. Jesse and Silver were talking with Ryu about where he'd went, and what he'd done in his year long absence.

When they got into the apartment, DJ and Jade sat up from the couch. Jade was slender, and around five foot six inches tall. She was wearing a long red coat, and blue jeans, with a red shirt. She had long brown hair, and a soft voice. She ran up to Leon, smacking him on the forehead.

"What the hell happened to Red?" she asked him.

"His dumb ass got piss drunk on a bottle of Hayes, then passed out after a bar fight." he replied.

"Leave it to you to let him have his ass handed to him while drunk. The least you could've done was kept him sober, so he would've been awake to see me." Jade wasn't too irritated with Leon. She was upset and scared at what was happening outside. She didn't know what to do, except come to Red. The two of them had been dating for almost six months.

"Wow dude, you've got a little explaining to do." DJ was now laughing at him.

DJ was shorter than Leon, but taller than Jade. He was bulky as well, and used it to his advantage. He didn't like to fight for too long, so he did what he could to take down the enemy as quick as possible. He carried with him a giant club, that was more evenly shaped throughout. It was more of a small, shaved tree to be honest.

"Hey DJ." he said. The rest of the group sat down around the apartment. Jesse waved at DJ as well. "Hey man." Silver went up and hugged him. "Hiya DJ. Nice that you dropped by." Clysta and Silver sat down next to each other. Ryu sat down next to Leon. Dave sat the supplies on the table in the kitchen.

"Ok, so what's next?" Dave asked.

"Well…"said Leon. "I'm not opposed to staying here until we can actually figure out what's going on." -crack. Red started kicking in his sleep, and found Leon's groin without too much trouble.

Leon's face had turned pink. "Oh wake up you annoying fuck." He returned the favor of last night by strangling him. Red opened his eyes abruptly, gasping for air, that he couldn't find. Jade picked Leon off of her boyfriend.

Red sat up, looking around. He found Jade's eyes, and smiled. He reached up and kissed his girl on the lips, then looking around at the many people in the room. "Hi guys!" he was ecstatic now. "Nice to see you Ryu. And DJ, it's been a while as well."

Leon interrupted. "I'm glad you enjoy the company Red, but it's time to figure things out. Dave, I'm gonna ask you to start planning things, since you have the most experience in war. Jesse, I'm gonna ask you to help Dave." he looked over at Ryu. "And I'm gonna need you to search-" he was short winded as Red tackled him, throwing punches at his face and stomach.

"That's for choking me bitch." he continued to flail at Leon, missing almost every time. The only thing he had going, was that Leon was pinned under his knees, only able to block. The two continued to roll around the apartment, trying to hit each other. However, they knew each other so well, it was hard to land a punch.

The rest of the group only watched them. Jesse looked over at the others. "Ok, let's get to work." he said, leaving Red and Leon in a brawl on the other side of the room.


	6. Gifts to Last a Lifetime

6. Gifts to Last a Lifetime

As they were sitting on the couch, more explosions were heard outside. The whole group was sitting on the couch. Red and Leon were still bruised up from their fight, and it still wasn't enough to sober him up. While planning out their next move, there was a knock at the door.

Red stood up to answer the door. As he opened the door, a man with a white robe, was standing next to him. Under the robe, was a satin shirt, and satin pants, with white shoes. "Can I help you?" Red asked.

"Yes. Would you be so kind as to let me into your home?" He only smiled at Red.

"Sure…uhh…come in." Red was unsure of what was going on, but he'd figure maybe somebody would know who he is. Aside from that, somebody only wearing a satin robe, shirt, and pants, couldn't possibly hide anything that would harm them. Even if he did though, it was one against nine.

The man came into the house, and stood next to the couches. "You've received a special request from someone." he said. He waved his hand, and as soon as Red stood up, he collapsed. Leon moved to his side to see what was wrong.

"What the hell did you do?!?" he screamed.

The man looked at Leon. "You'll know soon enough." he said. He raised his arms up, and the rest of the group collapsed.

Leon opened his eyes. Around him he saw an open night sky, with stars, and multi-colored gases in the sky. He saw the moon high in the sky. However, even though the sky was painted with the colors of the night, the world around them, was lightened as if the sun was up. The sky was tinted orange, mixed with the purple and blue of the night colors.

"Where am I?" he asked. Leon looked around, seeing the rest of the group behind him. Silver lifted her finger, and pointed to something behind him. Leon quickly turned around to see the same man from the apartment, looking at them.

"You're in the astral realm." he said softly. "A war is coming, and you are meant to fight it. It is a war of angels, and demons. You however, are neutral. You will fight for the human race. The demons have found a way to mesh this realm, with your physical etheric realm." he said.

"So what's that supposed to mean?" asked Red. "We're supposed to fight off demons, with your help, to protect our best interests?"

"No no." the man said. "You're fighting for the best interests of all the inhabitants of your realm."

"Ok." said Jesse. "So you want us to do the dirty work is basically what you're saying right?"

"No. You will fight, weather you want to or not, because if you don't, you will die." he said. He turned to Leon. "Leon. I give you the gift of water, ki, and holy imbued weapons." he pulls a katana from his back, handing it to Leon. "With this sword, Tutela, you can manipulate it's size, length, and shape, whenever you see fit. In essence, you can do anything you want with it. With your gift of water, you have complete control over it. You can manipulate it to do whatever you want. And with your gift of ki, you have control of spiritual energy. You can do anything, so long as your visualizations, and will are strong. The soul of the water, and ki are now one with you. Give me your guns." he took the guns, saying a prayer over them. "With your holy blessed guns, your bullets will now have an effect on the demons."

The man then turned to Red. "Red. I give to you, the gift of the earth. You can control the soil, the plants, and the rocks. You can shape, and move the earth, in any way that you see fit. I also give you the gift of the storm. More commonly known in this realm as a storm child, you can control the rain, lightning, and snow. The souls of the earth, and the storm are now one with your soul. I give you one last gift." He raised his arm, and a scythe materialized in his hand. "This is the weapon of death, Angelus Nex. Forged by Ares himself, and blessed with the touch of the Angel of Death. Whosoever you attack with this, will die." He handed the scythe to Red.

He then turned to Silver. "Silver. I give you, the gift of fire. With this, you can control the movement, size, and potency of any fire around you. With the soul of the fire, you will learn to respect each other, as this is deadly if misused. I also, give you the gift of time. When needed, you can slow down, reverse, or even pause time. My last gift for you is this bow, Quaero Lux Lucis. It was one of Apollo himself, and now he sees fit to bestow it on you. You are the hunter, and as such, he also grants you his arrows of light. They will burn any demon who crosses your path."

The angelic man turned his attention to Jesse, and Clysta. "As you two are bound souls, I give you the mark of the pit. With this mark, neither of you are alone. One cannot survive without the other, and one cannot die without the other. You shall always be close, as you are also endowed with the gift of teleportation. You shall be allowed to use the spirit of the dead around you, to power your weapons, and defenses, as well." He raised his hand, and in a flash of light, appeared a sword in his hand. He handed it to Jesse. "I give to you Jesse, the all powerful Ruina." Jesse took the sword, and another flash of light occurred. In his hand he held a chain. "This is Diligo. It is your guardian, and your weapon. Treat it well, and it will protect you."

After turning to Ryu, he spoke next. "Ryu. You've spent time of your life traveling. You've learned much, from many people and places. So in favor of you, I grant you a divine light. No lesser demon will come near you. Higher demons will not back down from you, but you will be stronger against them. The light inside of you, will give you an edge when you fight. Your katana, and guns will burn anything that attacks, with intent to hurt you, or your friends."

The man turned to DJ, and Jade. "You two. You are the fighters. You will be blessed with great strength. People, and demon alike will fear you. Do not let back. Do not show mercy. Fight, with intent to kill. You must not lose your realm to the demons."

He then turned to Dave. "You've served in the military. You've seen your days in combat. I shall do for you what I've done for Ryu. I will bless your rifle, with divine light. You will be the crystal carrier. You will heal the souls of your friends when needed, and you will restore the lost souls to the dead." He handed Dave two purple crystals.

He continued to speak. "You will use these gifts to your advantage, in this war." After he finished speaking, he disappeared.

Leon looked over at Red. "Red. Do something…please?" He was still in shock of everything that had just happened.

Red thought for a moment, then thrusted his hand into the air. "Nex! Come to me." There was a flash of dark light, as the scythe appeared in his hand. He grinned as he stood it up straight.

However, Leon heard another voice in his head. "Leon. You will receive one more power. You are given the gift of chaos energy. You can use it to stop an enemy in it's tracks, teleport yourself and a group of others. You can even alter your dimension, and bring forth beings from other dimensions. But above all, you can kill your enemies." The voice stopped.

"Red!" Leon said. "Quickly, make a sphere of earth around us."

Red did as he was told. He concentrated hard, bringing up a thick sheet of dirt, and wrapping it overhead of the group. The group was left in darkness. "Be prepared for this." Leon said. He touched the top of the sphere, and in a flash of red, and black light, the group felt a sudden tug, and whoosh. Red dissolved the sphere.

In the stead of the patrons, there stood a barren wasteland, of what used to be the city. They stood, short breathed at what they saw before them. There was a sucking noise, as a black portal filled the sky, full of lightning. A ghostly white figure came out of the sky, with a metal staff. He was white, with rotting flesh, and bandages hanging off of his arms. He had a tattered black robe, and tattered black pants.

As soon as he had landed, a fiery portal opened on the ground. Rising out of the portal, was a red figure, with a long tattered black trench coat. He had two curved horns growing out of his head. He had sharp fang like teeth, and nails like claws, long and stained yellow. His pants were black and tattered. He stood next to the ghostly white demon, and looked at him. They both nodded. The white demon materialized a weapon in his hands, in a blast of black smoke.

"Dear god." Said Ryu and DJ together.

Jesse stood in his spot, dumbfound. "It looks like hell's finally hit home."


End file.
